Nature Recovery Project Manager

Wmjobs; Stafford; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Staffordshire County Council is seeking an experienced environmental professional to help lead the Local Nature Recovery Partnership in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. You will work with farmers, local authorities, communities and partners to translate strategy into action and deliver tangible nature recovery outcomes.

The role focuses on maintaining policy knowledge, coordinating stakeholder engagement, and shaping strategies and plans with cross‑sector teams.

Qualifications

• A degree level qualification in a relevant environmental discipline or equivalent experience.
• Significant experience of cultivating and sustaining partnership working, stakeholder engagement and consultation.
• Experience in developing, delivering and monitoring strategy/plans.
• Experience of developing funding bids, securing external finance, and contract management and procurement procedures.
• Significant knowledge and experience of project/programme management and demonstrable delivery.
• Knowledge and experience of nature conservation and nature recovery policy and practice.

Responsibilities

• Act as the local authority and Local Nature Recovery Partnership’s expert on all matters related to this specialism, maintaining up to date knowledge of policy and practice to ensure the Partnership remains responsive to change.
• Represent the authority and Local Nature Recovery Partnership at committees, and on other bodies as required, gathering and presenting information to ensure that the Partnership is enabled to act judiciously and expeditiously.
• Ensure that an appropriate environmental perspective is included within all relevant internal and external strategies, policy documents and action programmes by engaging in and helping to shape those strategies’ development, and by leading on delivering strategies and plans relevant to this specialism.
• Promote the conservation and enhancement of Staffordshire’s environment through the provision of expert advice and practical support to public authorities, Government agencies, partnerships, the private sector and the voluntary sector, and through direct action.
• Lead Council and Local Nature Recovery Partnership responses to statutory and non-statutory nature recovery-related consultations by government departments and agencies, and other public entities.
• Assist the Environment Manager to develop and implement projects to deliver the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent to meet statutory and regulatory requirements, working with them to agree delivery accountabilities, mechanisms and programme arrangements.
• Organise and service meetings of the Nature Recovery Partnership to ensure the collaborative delivery and review of the strategy, producing and presenting reports to the steering group, and delivery group, and coordinating working groups.
• Support governance processes for the Responsible Authority to ensure update and approval of the LNRS within required time frames, including briefing and production of reports to relevant committees and other recipients, and provide advice to Supporting Authorities where required.
• Otherwise coordinate and collaborate with internal and external colleagues to ensure delivery of the LNRS.
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement and consultative activities to meet required standards and ensure broad, deep, and ongoing involvement in the strategy’s delivery and review.

Skills

Partnerships

Stakeholder engagement

Strategy delivery

Funding bids

Project management

Nature policy

Education

Degree in environmental discipline

Job description

Help lead nature recovery in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

Are you a natural communicator and relationship builder? Do you have experience of delivering a strategy through cultivating consensus and partnership working, and through project development? Is helping nature to recover something you're passionate about?

Working with partners including farmers and landowners, local communities, environmental organisations, businesses, local authorities and politicians, you'll be at the centre of efforts to deliver tangible outcomes that really make a difference for nature.

Main Responsibilities

1. Act as the local authority and Local Nature Recovery Partnership’s expert on all matters related to this specialism, maintaining up to date knowledge of policy and practice to ensure the Partnership remains responsive to change.

2. Represent the authority and Local Nature Recovery Partnership at committees, and on other bodies as required, gathering and presenting information to ensure that the Partnership is enabled to act judiciously and expeditiously.

3. Ensure that an appropriate environmental perspective is included within all relevant internal and external strategies, policy documents and action programmes by engaging in and helping to shape those strategies’ development, and by leading on delivering strategies and plans relevant to this specialism.

4. Promote the conservation and enhancement of Staffordshire’s environment through the provision of expert advice and practical support to public authorities, Government agencies, partnerships, the private sector and the voluntary sector, and through direct action.

5. Lead Council and Local Nature Recovery Partnership responses to statutory and non-statutory nature recovery-related consultations by government departments and agencies, and other public entities.

6. Assist the Environment Manager to develop and implement projects to deliver the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent to meet statutory and regulatory requirements, working with them to agree delivery accountabilities, mechanisms and programme arrangements.

7. Organise and service meetings of the Nature Recovery Partnership to ensure the collaborative delivery and review of the strategy, producing and presenting reports to the steering group, and delivery group, and coordinating working groups.

8. Support governance processes for the Responsible Authority to ensure update and approval of the LNRS within required time frames, including briefing and production of reports to relevant committees and other recipients, and provide advice to Supporting Authorities where required.

9. Otherwise coordinate and collaborate with internal and external colleagues to ensure delivery of the LNRS.

10. Coordinate stakeholder engagement and consultative activities to meet required standards and ensure broad, deep, and ongoing involvement in the strategy’s delivery and review.

The Ideal Candidate

Minimum Criteria

• A degree level qualification in a relevant environmental discipline or equivalent experience.
• Significant experience of cultivating and sustaining partnership working, stakeholder engagement and consultation.
• Experience in developing, delivering and monitoring strategy / plans.
• Experience of developing funding bids, securing external finance, and financial and contract management and procurement procedures.
• Significant knowledge and experience of project / programme management and demonstrable track record of delivery.
• Knowledge and experience of nature conservation and nature recovery policy and practice.

Interviews will be held during the week starting Monday 9th November 2026.

Don’t feel you meet all the requirements? We value transferable skills, experiences, and qualifications so consider applying anyway or for an informal chat about the role please contact Peter Hearn, Environment Manager at Staffordshire County Council: [e-mail]

Our Recruitment Process: We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you’ll bring to the role.

Please note: The minimum criteria in the ideal candidate section detailed above will be used if you are applying under one of our Interview Guarantee Schemes, detailed below.

About Staffordshire County Council

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values:

The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.

Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy:

We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.

We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.

Our benefits:

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance.

In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire

Our recruitment process:

As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as yourapplication meets the minimum criteria for the post.